Reference

The full technical documentation — every function on both sides of the wire, the protocol, and the fine print.

Getting started

Setting up boards, libraries and the connection:

• Installation — hardware, software, and where the two libraries go
• WiFi configuration — compile-time credentials or the Serial Monitor menu (skip this page for USB serial)
• Coding with AI — the whole reference as one file to paste into an AI assistant

Core — JavaScript

The browser side of every Pardalote project:

• Connecting — connect() and connectSerial() (WiFi or USB), connection keys, events, reconnection, and status
• Pins and reading — pinMode, digitalWrite, polled reads, callbacks, and pin aliases

Core — Arduino

Writing sketch code alongside the browser:

• The Arduino sketch — begin() / run(), share() / send()

Core — Messaging

A key/value channel for everything that isn't a pin or a device — symmetric between browser and sketch:

• Messaging — send() / watch(), retain and broadcast, and the frame monitor (JavaScript to Arduino · Arduino to JavaScript)

Extensions

Hardware support, one include at a time:

• Extensions overview — registering, script order, firmware includes, creating objects from the sketch, and reading actuators
• Servo · Stepper · Bus servo · Groups
• NeoPixel · Ultrasonic · Rotary encoder · IMU · Camera

Under the hood

• Protocol — the binary frame format and state sync
• Pin capabilities — what each pin can do, per board, and the silicon gotchas
• Troubleshooting — common issues and their usual fixes

Conventions used throughout

A few patterns repeat across the whole API:

• Reads are polls. The first call to any read()-style function starts a periodic poll on the Arduino; subsequent calls return the cached value instantly. Pass an interval to change the rate, or END to stop.
• target vs position. Commanded values update immediately; feedback values arrive with polling.
• Last writer wins. The browser and the sketch share the same hardware as equals.
• Setup goes in on('ready'). Attach, init and start polls after the Arduino has synced its state.
• Motion runs on the board. Timed moves and gesture() schedules are played on the Arduino's own clock — never streamed step-by-step — so they stay smooth and survive a WiFi blip. See each actuator's gesture() and Groups.